Leaping and Sliding
by AlexAvalon
Summary: Dr. Sam Beckett leaps to find himself in the place of one Rembrandt Brown. When Quinn gets kidnapped by a crazy collector it's up to Sam to save the day. Original Sliders Cast. Minor Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Alex: I tried to wait til I had more written but I just couldn't! Far too excited to wait. My first real official crossover! I don't see why no one has done a Quantum Leap/Slider crossover. Its been pointed out for a while that the two shows are very similar. Anywho, I'll try to stick to the canon as much as possible but a few liberties might be taken. I also want to point out -

Sam: (leaps into Alex's place) Whoa, where am I?

Al: Just post the fanfiction, Sam, and you're out of here. In the original history the readers died of boredom before they ever got to the story!

Sam: Um, ok? Here goes.

* * *

><p>In a flash of brilliant blue light Dr. Sam Beckett was leaping out of a small town in North Virginia to who knows where. He smiled at the fading image of the young couple that stood embracing one another tightly. Sure, he hated playing the bad guy. But the girl had been in an abusive relationship with the man he had leapt into and now she was much better off now. The cool touch of the police cuffs around his wrists faded away as a new scene came into view. And this scene was a belly?<p>

"Will you get off of me, Mr. Brown!"

An English accented voice roared in anger. Sam stood up quickly, offering a hand to the squashed man and his apologies. The bearded man accepted his hand. Sam shifted his footing as he strained to pull up the stranger. For whoever he was, judging from the well rounded belly, he obviously did not shirk on seconds at the dinner table.

"Quickly, make room for Mr. Mallory and Miss Wells."

"What?"

At that moment Sam finally took notice of the blue light that had surrounded scene. For a moment he allowed himself to think the job was done and he was already leaping out. Thinking that was the easiest leap ever he realized he had spoken too soon. Sam noticed the bearded man's eye line and slowly looked directly above him. Right above his head was a shining blue vortex hanging in the sky. The wind blew dust into his eyes causing him to blink rapidly. At each blink he thought the hallucination would disappear but the hole in the sky seemed persistent on staying very real.

"What in the-?"

"Look out!"

A figure shot out of the vortex and with a thud crashed right into Sam, knocking him to the ground. Sam found himself staring at the sky, lying on his now injured back he let out a low groan. From this vantage point he could see a young lady spat out from the vortex. She landed squarely on her feet and after regaining her balance cried triumphantly,

"And she sticks the landing!"

Then she took note of Sam's predicament.

"Quinn! Rembrandt! Are you okay?"

She stooped to help, as the bearded gentleman brushed himself off and grumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Serves him right."

The heavy weight on top of Sam rolled off and stood to its feet.

"Sorry, Rembrandt."

"It's alright."

A handsome sturdy young man with sandy blonde hair stood above him offering a hand. After being helped up Sam brushed himself off and stared gaping at the vortex that had begun to disappear, wondering to himself who in the world these people were. The younger man, apparently Quinn, rubbed his hands together before asking,

"So Professor, when's the next slide?"

The older gentleman produced a device that greatly resembled a TV remote. Staring at the display he announced,

"Twenty four hours and some change. Looks like a normal enough world this time. We had better head into town and check into the hotel."

Quinn nodded,

"Alright then, let's go."

The small group started to head off when Sam felt a hand grab his arm.

"Rembrandt, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

The young lady stood looking up at him with concerned eyes. Sam looked down at the very short, petite woman, taking note of her brunette hair in a short modern styling. Modern was a good sign, better to help guess what year he had landed in. From looking at her necklace he determined her name was Wade. Sam smiled and managed to stumble out,

"I guess I'm just a little shook up is all, Wade."

She gave small smile,

"Yeah, that last world was no fun huh? Don't want to be going back there any time soon."

Sam pretended to chuckle as his brain tried to comprehend what she had just said. Last world?

"Maybe we'll get a little vacation before we have to slide."

Sam simply smiled and nodded as they walked through the abandoned park towards the city skyline.

Slide? Oh boy.

**Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished.**

_What if you could travel to parallel worlds? The same year, the same Earth…_

… **awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own,**

…_.. you're the same person, but everything else is different? I found the gateway! _

… **hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.**

_Now, the problem is: finding a way back home._

The closer they got to town the more dismal it looked. Everything seemed to be coated with a layer of dust that kicked up when a wind blew through. The travelers coughed as the grime caught in their throats, and when a particularly strong gust came through they could barely see where they were going due to the grit in their eyes. Wade had pulled her shirt over her nose as she squinted against the wind when she spotted the familiar sight of the Dominion Hotel.

"Guys, it's over here!"

Finally the group stumbled its way into the lobby of the hotel. A surprised desk clerk cheerily welcomed them,

"Hi there, welcome to the Dominion. Are you folks alright?"

Wade, being the only one who wasn't coughing, spoke up first.

"Not really, we had no idea that it would be a dust bowl out there."

A rather large man came out from behind the counter holding a couple bottles of water. He handed one to each person, which they eagerly accepted. Sam immediately chugged down half of his bottle before pausing to take a breath. While his throat was still scratchy he instantly felt a lot better.

"I guess you all being strangers around here you weren't prepared for the dust storms. Most folks in town are always prepared with some of these."

The chubby man pulled at the faded red bandana that was tied around his neck, before pointing to the pair of shiny goggles that were perched on his forehead.

"I'll make sure to get you some."

Quinn finally found his voice,

"Thanks that would be great. Would you mind telling us why it's so dusty out there?"

As Quinn spoke the clerk's eyebrows shot up, but they quickly returned to their normal positions. Rubbing his hands together nervously he muttered,

"This is a mining town, there's always dust everywhere. Um, so I take it you want a room."

Wade spoke up,

"Yes, room 103 if it's available."

"Sure, sure."

The clerk shuffled back behind the desk and retrieved their key. The travelers exchanged looks amongst themselves that commented on the man's sudden change in demeanor. After accepting the keys they decided not to press any further questions on the clerk and went on up to the room.

* * *

><p>Al: You're outta here.<p>

Sam: (leaps out)

Alex: What just happened? That was too weird. *shakes head* Just pointing out that yes, I know I mixed up the intro monologues up a bit. I did that on purpose, so those who don't watch the show might understand a bit better. Right then, bye!

_R&R Please?  
>So maybe the Sliders will show up for the next commentary. <em>


	2. Chapter 2

Alex: Five hits so far and mostly likely all of them are me. Wonderful.

*vortex opens and the Sliders fall out*

Professor: We seemed to have slid into a world where poorly written excuses for literature are posted by raving mad fan girls.

Remmy: I don't know about you, but I like it! So where are my fans?

Quinn: Well we've got about three days and some change. Better get comfy professor because we're going to be here a while.

Professor: Oh joy.

Wade: It could be worse.

Professor: I fail to see how.

Alex: I could use the power of fanfiction to make you dress up as a capybara and dance the hula. I am a raving mad fan girl after all.

Professor: *flustered* Quite unnecessary I assure you. Did I say mad? What I meant to say was-

Alex: Save it prof. Anywho, quick note for timeline issues. As for Quantum leap, pretend Mirror Image never happened. As for Sliders, sometime in the middle of the third season. Mk? Mk.

* * *

><p>Upon arriving in the room Quinn took a running leap onto the nearest bed.<p>

"Ah! Paradise!"

Wade laughed at his antics, and ran around to flop onto the next bed beside him.

"After sleeping on the hard, cold ground last world it feels like paradise indeed."

Sam laughed at the duo, as they began to jump up and down on the plush mattresses. The professor leaned next to Sam muttering low enough so the other two wouldn't hear,

"Nice to see them enjoying themselves for once. I think all this sliding is wearing down even the most enthusiastic of our group."

Quinn lost his footing as the bed's comforter slid right off, Quinn sliding with it. He landed with a thud on his behind springing back up into the air before crashing once again onto the floor. Wade let out a gasp which quickly changed to laughter. Quinn himself was laughing from his awkward position on the floor. Sam and the professor looked on with smiles of their own before the professor rolled his eyes and left. Quinn flipped onto his back as the laughter subsided then let out a huge sigh. With her feet kicking the air and her head propped up on her fists, Wade lay on her belly talking to her traveling companions.

"So now what?"

A voice came from the floor,

"We need to go into town. We all need some new clothes and some food sounds good right about now."

Quinn's head popped up,

"Who wants to come with?"

Wade raised a hand.

"What about you, Remmy?"

Sam suddenly became very interested in his thumbs as he fumbled for words,

"I-uh.."

"Sam!"

Sam let out a huge sigh of relief. He looked up to see his good friend Al Calavicci standing in the middle of the room. Dressed in his usual ridiculous clothes and with his ever present cigar shoved in his mouth, Al was a sight for sore eyes. Quinn and Wade continued to stare expectantly at Sam, oblivious the new visitor standing next to them. Al waved a dismissive hand,

"Just tell 'em you'll stay here. I need to talk to you."

Sam nodded before looking back to Quinn,

"Y'know I think I'll just stay here for now. I'm kind of tired."

"All right then. If we're not back in an hour you better come after us."

Wade's eyes widened,

"You think we might run into trouble here?"

Quinn arose from the floor,

"I don't know. That desk clerk was acting kind of fishy. It's probably nothing, but just in case, Rem, you know what to do."

Sam nodded again. Quinn strode across the room, right through Al, and out the door with Wade not far behind. Al was staring intently at the screen of a small handheld device and didn't even notice. He hit the device against his hand causing it to squawk in protest. Not even looking up Al walked through the bed to stand next to Sam. Sam looked around to see if the professor was still around, but he seemed to be otherwise occupied. He turned back to his holographic friend,

"Al! You will not believe what I have just seen!"

"Let me guess, you've leaped into the life of an inter-dimensional traveler."

Sam's eyebrows furrowed,

"I just came to that conclusion. How did you know?"

"Ziggy has been looking for you for weeks! Finally we were able to get some information out of the guy in the waiting room. He wouldn't talk much though, thought he had been abducted by some guys called the Kromaggs or something. Anyway from what info we could gather from him made Ziggy expand the search perimeters to different dimensions."

Al said while gesturing widely with his cigar in one hand and the device in the other. Sam let out a hushed whisper,

"I'm in a different dimension."

Al smiled at his friend's awe,

"Congratulations, you not only travel through time but you travel through dimensions."

Al watched Sam run a hand through his hair. Thanks to a new program Ziggy installed Al could see the face of his friend instead of the man he replaced. The shock of gray hair was prominently displayed in Sam's light brown tresses. His long face was beginning to show signs of age as the stress of leaping began to take their toll. He pale green eyes darted about as his physicists brain began to kick in.

"Do you know what this means!"

"That you used up a lot of frequent flyer miles on this trip?"

"Mr. Brown, who are you talking to?"

Sam whipped around to see the professor standing behind him. Sam looked back from Al to the plump man, before waving a nonchalant hand.

"I was, uh, just talking to myself."

The professor gave Sam a curious stare. Holding his gaze and searching for the trace of a lie.

"Well, try not to make a habit of it or we might have to start questioning your sanity."

Sam let out a wry chuckle,

"I'll try not to then. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Sam awkwardly left the room eager to be away from the suspicious eyes of the professor. That was always the problem with leaping. Whenever people saw Sam talking to thin air they usually thought he was going crazy. Sam quickly slipped inside the restroom locking the door behind him. He whipped around to find himself face to face with Al.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to knock."

Al reached out a hand to rap on the door, but instead his hand went right through.

"You see my problem?"

"Well say something next time. I don't know, wear a bell around your neck."

"Hardy har har, Sam you need to focus."

"Right, you're right. So why am I here?"

"We don't know yet. Ziggy's still trying to figure that out. But you're name is Rembrandt Brown. You're a singer and apparently an inter-dimensional traveler."

Sam ran a hand down his face as he leaned against the sink.

"Do you have anything on the others? There's a girl named Wade Wells, a young man named Quinn Mallory, I think. And there is the professor but I didn't catch his name."

Frustrated, Al hit the handheld device against his palm again.

"Sorry, nothing."

"Well keep working on it. If you find anything let me know. They say they have to 'slide' in about twenty four hours so I hope whatever I have to fix presents itself soon."

"You and me both, Sam. I'll have Ziggy run a search for their names and get back to you later."

Al hit a button on the gadget and stepped through the shining doorway that appeared. He hit another button and the doorway closed behind him. Sam ran both hands through his hair, his mind racing about everything that had happened. Rubbing his eyes he turned around to the mirror. Slowly he lowered his hands from his face to see the stranger staring back at him. An African American man with close cut, wavy, black hair and a moustache was staring back at him. He studied the reflection in front of him, of a man he had never met. Sam then let out a sigh, unlocked the door, and left.

* * *

><p>Alex: Well, make yourselves at home.<p>

Professor: I can't believe we are actually staying here.

Wade: We don't have enough money for a hotel so it's here or no where.

Professor: *mutter mutter*

*Quinn and Remmy have found the Wii, with the lightsaber remotes*

Remmy: I'm kicking your butt, man!"

Quinn: Not for long!

*Quinn accidentally rams Remmy's remote out of his hand. It goes flying across the room and clubs the professor over the head."

Professor: YOU IMPUDENT YAHOOS!

Quinn: *to Remmy* Run?

Remmy: *Nod* Run.

_R&R? Please  
>So the Professor doesn't kill anyone? <em>


	3. Chapter 3

Professor: You expect us to eat this garbage?

Alex: What? It's a perfectly good hot pocket. Quit griping and eat.

Wade: *mouth stuffed* I think it's pretty good.

Professor: Yes, well you college kids choke down this kind of junk food all the time. Normal people might actually want a square meal.

Remmy: *pokes the Prof's stomach* Yeah, you have your figure to think about.

*everyone laughs as the Prof's face turns red*

Alex: Anywho, back to story comments. I wasn't really expecting many hits anyway but come on! Not even one review? Pft.

Professor: I have some faith in humanity again, they decided not to waste their time with this wretched story!

Alex: Oy! Keep saying stuff like that and you'll sleep on the cot, got that?

Professor: *grumble mumble grumble*

* * *

><p>"Do we have enough money for some cookies?"<p>

Wade held up a box of her favorite brand of chocolate chip cookies for Quinn to see. Quinn glanced at the few items in the hand basket he carried, estimating their worth.

"Yeah, we ought to have enough."

Wade tossed him the box which he deftly caught with one hand.

"Is that all?"

"The essentials at least. We'll have to get jobs again soon though; we're starting to run out of cash."

"Ok then, let's go. This place is starting to give me the creeps."

Wade glanced around the dimly lit grocery, catching the eyes of one of the shoppers who quickly turned away. She felt more people watching them as she and Quinn strode up to the cash register. She fiddled nervously with the navy bandanna tied around her neck. Strangers must really be rare in this town. The person checking them out seemed to be trying his hardest not to make eye contact with the new visitors. He handed over their change muttering out the expected phrase in voice that showed he didn't mean it,

"Have a nice day."

Wade was just about to pull on her borrowed pair of goggles when she noticed that the dust storm had stopped. She nudged Quinn with her elbow and pointed outside. He had already pulled on his red tinted goggles but then pulled them down to hang around his neck. They strolled out into the sunshine. The wind had died down along with it, the dust, but clouds of it still arose at every step the travelers took. Quinn remarked,

"Seems like things are finally looking up."

Wade smiled, thinking maybe this world wouldn't be so bad after all. That's when she saw the poster; the blood in her veins froze.

"Quinn? I think we oughtta get back to the hotel, fast."

He snapped out of a daydream,

"Wha- why?"

"That's why."

She pointed a finger towards the poster that they must have missed in the dust storms. Now that the dust was gone she could see them everywhere, dotting the streets every few yards. The bold printing spelling out,

"Wanted: Alive. Contact the police if seen."

Beneath the text was the picture of a young man, with a mop of sandy brown hair and pale blue eyes. Quinn began to feel panic threaten his clear thinking as he gasped out,

"Oh my gosh, it's me."

Wade began to walk faster, her eyes flitting about for any sign of danger.

"We've got to get the professor and Remmy, and then get out of town."

Quinn nodded and quickened his stride to match her pace,

"I'm with you."

Suddenly a garbled voice shouted from behind them,

"Freeze right there!"

Without even thinking, Quinn instantly kicked into high gear,

"Run!"

They shot off through the street, clouds of dust kicking up behind them. Wade's heart pounded in her chest loudly, but not loud enough to cover up the noise of feet chasing after them. Suddenly a trashcan exploded on her right shooting debris into their path. Something flew between her feet causing her to stumble. Quinn grabbed her arm pulling her upright and shouting out,

"They have weapons. Keep running!"

Quinn chanced a glance behind them to see the shiny black tops of helmets through the dust, with the visors pulled down to hide their faces. A dozen or more black clothed police stormed after them with strange guns in their hands. Thankfully, due to the equipment and bulky vests strapped on the pursuers they were falling behind. He looked forward again and a small smile even came to his face. They were going to get away. Ahead him Wade rounded the corner, he ran around to run smack into a wall of flesh. A squad of policemen had been waiting for them. Two pointed their guns at his head telling him to freeze but from behind them he heard Wade scream out his name,

"Quinn! Help me!"

He looked past the men to see more of the faceless thugs dragging her off. Enraged, he acted purely on instinct. He put his head down and lunged at the nearest guard. The guard's weapon fell from his hand as he felt the full force of Quinn's weight against his ribcage. Quinn grabbed the dazed man by the shoulders and shoved him towards the other armed guard. The two landed on the ground with a thud, the other losing his gun in the process. The fighting had kicked up the dust causing Quinn to blink rapidly, trying to regain his eye sight. Out of the haze another policeman came after Quinn with a roar brandishing his gun like a club. Quinn didn't duck quite low enough and the butt of the gun caught the back of his head. Then the attacker rammed Quinn right in the jaw causing him to stumble back a bit stunned. Suddenly, Quinn came back with renewed energy swinging a fist at the foe. He felt his punch hit home in the man's gut. Out of the corner of his eye Quinn noticed a length of wood half covered in the dust. He snatched it up as the man started to make a comeback. Quinn took the plank in both hands and swung it as hard as he could against the man's head. With a loud defining crack the wood broke in two as it made contact with the assailant's helmet. The dark clothed man fell to the ground and lay unmoving.

"Quinn!"

Wade screamed in terror, as the two men tried to force her into the back of a black van. Her fingernails tore at any flesh she came in contact with as she tried to fight her way out of their grip. Suddenly, one of her captors was yanked back by his collar causing him to let out a guttural noise as he choked. Quinn punched the thug in the stomach, ripped off the man's helmet and still keeping a hold on it, smashed into the other captor's head. Wade was free.

"Come on."

She had begun to run when she heard the cry behind her. She turned to see that the first assailant that had been pinned to the ground had worked his way free and had jumped Quinn from behind. Quinn yelled out to her,

"Run Wade!"

She stood there, undeceive for a moment. She wasn't going to just leave him there. The sound of marching feet penetrated the air, and to her horror she saw the first group that had been chasing them round the corner. No sooner had Quinn taken out the guard, three more were on him. They grabbed at his arms, Quinn struggled against them. His feet sliding through the dust, as he fought to keep a grip. Covered in dust and sweat, his army green button down shirt now ripped and stained with blood, and with a look of desperation on his face Quinn shouted to her as they dragged him back.

"Just run, Wade run!"

She ran.

"Fire! Don't let her get away!"

The sound of weapons discharging reached her ears, spurring her to run faster. An arc of what looked to be lightning shot past her head and hit the nearest light post. The lamp exploded in flurry of sparks and the top began to teeter, Wade flung herself out of the way of the falling lamp post. She landed face first in the dust, coughing and hacking. Then the dust began to fall and to her dismay she saw a piece of black plastic sticking out of the dust out of arms reach, the timer. She started to stand when another lightning bolt came streaking over her head. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she fell back to the ground. She scrabbled on her belly across the ground towards a nearby parked car. The lightning arcs continued to shoot across the sky blasting away at the nearby buildings, narrowly missing her. She reached a safe haven for the moment, taking a few deep breaths before she looked over her shoulder trying to find the timer.

There it was, and it wasn't very far away. If she could just reach out and grab it. Her body tensed as she prepared for a snatch and run. Just as her fingers brushed against the smooth plastic a bolt hit the ground merely centimeters away from the timer. With a scream she withdrew her hand inspecting it for damage, but it was not her hand she should have been worried about. She looked up to see something worse than a singed hand. The timer was sparking, and though she might have imagined the smoke pouring out the top, the countdown in the display was going haywire. Suddenly the garbled voice boomed,

"Move in!"

No time to think, she grabbed the timer and ran. She chanced a glance back to see her pursuers falling behind, but they didn't seem to be really trying to catch her. She saw an unconscious Quinn being loaded into the back of the black van. Turning back, tears started to well up, clearing out the dust but the saltiness stung all the same.

_ "How could I leave him like that?"_ She thought, "_What are we going to do now?"_

She kept running.

Behind Wade's shrinking form, the helmeted police thugs slowed to a stop. One with red belt across his chest holding a bullhorn loosely in his hand marched up to the resting men. Lifting his visor one could see his red face as he barked out,

"Why did you let her get away!"

One man who had already lifted his visor placed his fists on his hips as he panted out,

"Why does it matter? The boss doesn't want her anyway."

"She could have held valuable information!"

"We all know it's not about information anymore."

A few men nodded in agreement, exchanging knowing looks with one another. The red-faced man in charge merely grunted and walked away before adding,

"Fine, but you get to explain to the boss that you let a timer slip out of our hands."

The younger man's eyes widened,

"A timer?"

The senior officer turned back with a wicked grin on his face,

"Yes, a timer. I can't wait to hear his reaction to this."

He marched off with the smile still on his face. Behind him the young man's Adam's apple bobbed as he chocked down his fear. A few of the other officers said nothing as they patted him on the back, a silent goodbye. For they knew they would most likely not see their comrade again.

* * *

><p>Alex: Here we go, got some action finally.<p>

Quinn: Do you enjoy torturing me?

Alex: Hey, you have to admit that even on your own you get captured a lot.

Quinn: No, I d- Well maybe.

Alex: You see my point.

_Read&Reveiw?  
>Or I'll kill Quinn Mallory! MWHAA HAA HAAA <em>


	4. Chapter 4

Alex: I am so terribly sorry! School is always the excuse isn't it?

Professor: I had begun to think you had finally forgotten this foolishness to pursue something worthwhile, education! But then I realised you were majoring in English.

Alex: *rolls eyes* Anyway, I'm sorry I am taking so long and it will most likely be a long time until another update. But hey, it's better than nothing right?

* * *

><p>Sam was jolted awake by the sound of the door slamming. What time was it? Surely an hour hadn't passed yet. He sat bolt upright and cocked his head to listen to the sound of crying, a woman crying. Wade? He rolled off the hotel bed and strode across the room, yanking open the door to find the professor trying his best to calm Wade who was almost in hysterics.<p>

"Just try and calm down Miss Wells. What happened? Where's Mr. Mallory?"

Tears mingled with the dust on her face as she attempted to choke out her story between sobs. She told them about the strange way everybody had been acting, then the posters, the police, and Quinn's capture.

"And the timer," she said pulling the remote thing out of her pocket, "they fried it."

"Oh no."

The professor fumbled through his pockets before taking the timer gently from her hand, staring at the dead display while sitting down heavily on the couch. They barely heard him mutter,

"I had forgotten I'd given it to you."

Sam spoke up,

"Think you can fix it?"

"I'm going to have to try. It's our only way out of here."

Wade cried out again,

"Professor, what about Quinn?"

"There's not much we can do for him at the moment. We have no idea where he is being taken. And I have a feeling the people in this town are not going tell us anything, in fact they might even be turning us in right now. We have to move."

He stood up as he spoke, grabbing his coat, he had it halfway on before Wade latched onto his arm.

"What if Quinn gets away huh? He'll be looking for us, here. If we leave he won't know where to find us!"

"If the police get here first then we might not be here anyway."

Sam pulled Wade into a hug as she nodded her head, seeing the point of the professor's logic. Something suddenly occurred to Sam,

"Where do we go?"

There suddenly was a quick series of knocks at the door. They all froze at the sounds, all expecting to hear cries of,

"Police! Open up!"

But no call came. The professor looked through the peephole to see a lone man standing in the hallway, fidgeting nervously with his hands and looking over his shoulder as if he expected the place to be raided any minute. Which it very well might. The professor opened the door a crack, still keeping the chain lock in place, and glared at the stranger just to let him know the professor didn't trust him.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The man had graying hair, with long sideburns down his face. He looked as if he had grown old too fast, because while his physical stature seemed to be fit and in shape but his eyes seemed to show a great weariness. He spoke in low urgent tone,

"My name is Wallace Tucker. I came because you need my help."

The professor turned to look at Wade and Sam, his face showing his skepticism.

"And why should we need your help? How can we trust you?"

"You can't trust what you don't know. But you need to get out of this hotel, I know a place that's safe."

He paused as his expression turned grime,

"And I can tell you where they've taken your friend."

Wade's head perked up at this statement, she stared imploringly at the professor whose eyes were raging a series of no's before he sighed and gave in. He slid the chain from the lock and opened the door to the mysterious man.

"I had better not regret this decision."

The man gestured for them to follow, turned his back, and walked quickly down the long hallway.

"Did you really have a choice?"

Quinn's head throbbed, a dull pain echoing through his skull. With a groan he sat up, feeling the impressive bump that had formed on his forehead. Blinking rapidly, his vision swam before his eyes blurring his surroundings. Slowly they came into focus, but there was not much to see. Grey walls, grey floor, grey bed, grey door, and that was all. He sat where he was for a moment on the springy cot, just trying not to think about the pain in his head. Almost absentmindedly he noticed that his dirty clothes had been replaced with a light blue jumpsuit. No markings to show indication where he was. At least it didn't have a prison number on it. But then again if he wasn't in jail where was he?  
>Cautiously he stood up on wobbly legs. The throbbing was starting to die down, so he stretched his limbs to get the feeling back into them. When he had seen those posters in town he thought perhaps his double on this world was some sort of criminal. He looked around him again, this didn't seem like an ordinary prison. He recalled the world where his counterpart had been part of a scientific experiment and when he had run away posters had been pasted all around town then too. Quinn pulled at his new jumpsuit, perhaps he was in a lab. Was he a test subject? He jumped at the sound door slamming against the concrete walls as it opened.<br>The guards said nothing as they escorted him down the long narrow hallway. Quinn eyed the large guns that four men were carrying, wondering what his counterpart had done to require so much security. They continued walking through the dull corridors, sometimes taking a right, sometimes taking a left. Everything looked exactly the same Quinn felt like he was in a Scooby Doo cartoon. Just when he was sure they were definitely lost their convoy came to a halt. They reached the end of a corridor where the lead guard tapped in a code, the door clicked as the lock disengaged. Before them was sets of stairs which they immediately began to climb, about three stories worth. They reached the door at the top, more locks were opened, and when the door was thrown open the sun shone through.  
>Quinn threw up a hand to shield his eyes, he began to cover his nose and mouth when he noticed the brilliant green before him. There was grass, beautiful flowers, plant life all around, all trimmed to perfection and no dust in sight. In the middle of all of this greenery was a towering mansion, actually more like a castle, with turrets and towers of all grey stone. As they marched across the immaculate lawn Quinn finally looked around to see the great clear dome that surrounded the property which kept the dust at bay. A glance beyond showed the same desert-like town that he was in before. He didn't have much time to take this all in as he was ushered quickly into the gaping door of the house, which slammed shut behind him and the sun and the grass was gone once again.<br>The inside of this castle was finely decorated, with rich crimson reds and burgundies. Antiques from all over the world littered the hallways. The ceiling sat high above their heads and candle lit chandeliers dotted the way. Quinn eyed the stuffed animal heads that hung from the walls as they continued through the passageway, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpeting. Quite suddenly they came to a stop in front of a pair of big wooden doors. A guard went to knock on the door when a voice came from within,

"You may enter."

The guard pulled his hand back, startled, before composing himself and motioning the other guards to follow with a grunt. The doors pulled open from the inside by unseen hands, revealing a study. The room was the equivalent to a small library/lab, with book shelves reaching to the ceiling and tables covered in test tubes and other lab equipment. A man sat with his back to them at his desk which overflowed with papers, books, and other assortment of items. Finally the man turned to face them and Quinn got a chance to study the obvious man in charge.  
>The old man looked like a bird with a beak shaped nose that hooked over his thin lips. His silvery gray, almost white hair was tied tightly back into a rat-tail. He ran his bony, arthritis stricken hands down the front of his long black coat, smoothing unseen wrinkles in the stiff fabric. The rest of his tall lean body seemed to be rather physically fit but his face, however, had begun to show wrinkles of age. Dark ridged crow's feet bordered the beady bright blue eyes. Eyes blue like the sky, but much like the sky can be, his eyes seemed clouded over.<p>

"Why do come in, Quinn. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

><p>Remmy: It just occured to me, am I in the story at all now?<p>

Alex: Oh yeah, that's a very good question. Huh, I hadn't thought about that.

Remmy: :( You forgot about me?

Wade: She forgot about all of us really.

Alex: I said I was sorry!

Prof: Haha, sorry doesn't cut it this time.

Alex: *Argh* Fictional characters, get so touchy when you don't write their fanfics fast enough to their liking.

*looks around*

Has anyone seen Quinn?

Remmy, Wade, Prof: *shrug*

MEANWHILE

Quinn: Uh, a little help here? Hello guys? Hellooooooooooooo?

_R&R?  
>I'll really kill him off this time.<br>Whether in the comments or the story.  
>It's up to you.<em>


End file.
